The subject matter of the invention is a quilting device, and a method for moving the processing unit of a quilting device.
Quilting devices which are suitable for producing large quilts have a long quilting table or quilting frame (hereunder referred to as the “frame” in short) on which a processing unit is mounted so as to be movable in two directions of a guiding plane. The processing unit usually comprises a first carriage or slide, respectively, which is mounted so as to be traversable along a longitudinal guide, and a second carriage or slide, respectively, which is mounted so as to be traversable in a manner orthogonal to the longitudinal guide on the first slide. A long-arm sewing machine which is fixedly connected to the second slide in the case of such quilting devices may be traversed in two movement directions of a guiding plane which are predefined by the guides of the two slides. The freedom of movement of the processing unit in the guide plane is restricted in both movement directions. A utilizable range within which a two-dimensional textile structure may be processed by the stitch-forming tools of the sewing machine is formed as a result. The two-dimensional structure to be processed may comprise one or a plurality of layers which may each be rewound from a supply roll to a take-up roll. Processing of the two-dimensional structure is performed in portions, that portion of the two-dimensional structure that is located in the utilizable range being in each case held tensioned so as to lie on the needle plate of the sewing machine, and so as to be parallel with the guide plane.
The processing unit typically comprises one or a plurality of handles. During quilting or stitching, respectively, one operator holds the processing unit by the handle or by the handles, respectively, guiding or moving, respectively, said handle or handles in relation to the two-dimensional structure according to the pattern to be established. By virtue of the comparatively large mass of the processing unit to be moved, the operator has to be apply correspondingly great forces when changing direction and/or speed. Additional resistance forces which have to be overcome may be caused for example by friction losses in the mounting, and/or by coupled drives which may optionally be used for moving the processing unit.
This may lead to fatigue, muscle tenseness and/or pain in the region of the shoulders and/or of the back of the operator already after a short time.
A drive assembly for a hand-guided quilting device which may be moved manually or alternatively automatically via drive motors is known from U.S. Pat. No. 7,207,281 B1. This quilting device comprises actuators by way of which the drive motors may optionally be coupled to the respective carriages for controlled or automatic operation, respectively, and may be decoupled therefrom for manual operation.
One disadvantage of this quilting device lies in that coupling devices having actuators are required in addition to the motors. One further disadvantage lies in that a comparatively large mass has to be moved in the manual operating mode. Since the drive motors are also disposed on the carriages, the former likewise have to be conjointly moved. Accordingly, the operator has to apply comparatively great forces for changing the movement direction and/or speed, this being ergonomically unfavorable, as is the case with other convention quilting devices.